Please check below for answers to some of the more often-asked questions of GMJBA board members and coaches. This list is by no means inclusive and is meant to develop as other areas of interest are identified. Categories are listed alphabetically. You may choose a topic or scroll through the entire list.

Draft

Why do you have a player draft?

All RMJBL members conduct a player draft in order to maintain team balance. The draft allows players to be placed on teams according to their age and ability level.

No. Green Mountain Junior Baseball will be holding the annual player draft / tryouts for our 2013 baseball season for all 8-14 year-old players during October this year. There will not be an August or early February draft. This facilitates winter workouts for the coaches that chose to do so. Players that sign up after the after the October tryout will be placed on a waitlist and given spots as they become available.

Do I have to show up on draft day?

Players are strongly encouraged to participate in the draft. Players who miss draft day for any reason are subject to being placed on a team that may or may not be appropriate with their ability level. If you know in advance that your son/daughter will miss the draft, an email to GMJBA and a call to one of the coaches in the age group would be appropriate.

What if my child has a bad day on draft day?

This does happen, and players can be misplaced on teams. However, once players are drafted and teams are formed, rosters are frozen and players cannot move from one team to another. The best solution is to prepare your son/daughter as best as possible for the draft. Coaches are trained to focus on baseball fundamentals and will score players higher who have strong mechanics and technique. Missing a ground ball or fly ball or two may not hurt the player’s score much if the player demonstrates sound technique.

Fees

What do the fees I pay to GMJBA cover?

The registration fees cover the following: RMJBL bracketing, scheduling, and umpire fees; City of Lakewood field fees; Jeffco Schools field fees for practices; equipment furnished by GMJBA (catchers gear, balls, bases, etc), field prep, hats for the players, pictures (we pay for one team & one individual for each player), liability & accident insurance, and a few other minor expenses.

If my child decides not to play after tryouts is the deposit refundable?

No, there are costs associated with running the tryouts which these fees go toward covering.

Fields

We need more quality fields. What can be done?

Maybe the biggest single complaint/question we receive. First, we have to remember that they call this place Green Mountain for a reason - there simply aren’t many flat areas available to squeeze in a ball field. Second, we must compete with other sports organizations (softball, soccer, etc.) for access to these fields. With the opening of Coyote Gulch, the 2011 season saw us make some progress in securing game fields, but our practice field situation is still dire. Many practice fields are in very poor condition. We do what we can to improve conditions, but most of the practice fields belong to the R-1 school district and we are restricted in what actions we can take. The GMJBA Board of Directors will continue to work with the City of Lakewood on a long-term solution for additional fields.

Why do some teams have better practice fields and times than ours does?

Practice fields are assigned based on two factors: age group and monthly meeting attendance by coaches. Coaches who regularly attend are rewarded with better times and/or fields. Special consideration is given to those who coach more than one team.

RMJBL

I want to become an umpire: Who do I contact?

Visit www.RMjbl.org and contact the umpire director. Umpire classes are typically held in the spring.

Quality umpiring is a problem. What can be done?

Quality umpires are a common concern. Umpires are recruited and administered by the Umpire Director at RMJBL. Umpire quality comes down to funding and rates of pay. It would cost considerably more money to recruit, train, and retain veteran umpires, and those costs would be passed on to all RMJBL members, which would significantly increase player dues. Most rookie umpires are still in high school and many of them get discouraged and sometimes even quit due to verbal abuse by coaches (and especially parents!), which only magnifies the problem.

Misc.

Why does the season start so early?

You really have to work this equation backwards. Most World Series tournaments will occur in mid to late July. This means that our state tournaments must be concluded by early July, and our regular season must be concluded by the end of June. League play will begin in early April. Tournament play begins as early as March (ex: Scott Van Coevern Memorial Tournament). Weather is always a problem in Colorado, so we try to organize teams as early as possible.

My son/daughter wishes to play with friends in another area instead of Green Mountain. What do I do?

Player release guidelines are very strict and are not usually granted. Please refer to the Rules and Regulations for the guidelines and area boundaries.